


Sanctuary

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Body Horror, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kaiju!Hermann, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 13:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3490337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Breach closes, after the Drift, Hermann experiences some very shocking and unforeseen side effects from the Drift he shared with Newt and the baby Kaiju brain. </p><p>Thank God Newt is there to help him through and keep him sane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> This was a possible route I had considered when I was first writing an old fic called 'Sweet Dreams' (though in the end I still went with Newt). I've had this on the side for a couple weeks, but since there's very little fics out there that have kaiju!hermann, I'll add this to that small list.

They thought that out of the two of them, Newt would be the more likely candidate to suffer some sort of backlash from the two Drifts. Newt didn't show any adverse side effects, other than constant nose bleeds which were gradually easing off.

And so they thought nothing would happen.

One morning, Newt took notice that his lab partner looked unusually tired. It was a bit strange since he knew the other commonly left the lab before him at the end of the day.

“Um, hey dude, you okay over there?” Newt asked. “You look a little out of it.”

“I am fine, thank you.” The physicist replied.

“You sure?”

“Merely a restless sleep.”

“Oh, that sucks.” Newt then turns to their new intern,- Cluadia, if he remembers correctly- who has just arrived, and gives her a summary of his newest study she can help look over.

However, he makes a mental note to keep an eye on his friend.

On the other hand, with Gottlieb, he hadn't been getting much sleep lately. He had felt fine, aside from being worn out by the events (and Drift) that happened over the final days of the war, but lately found himself barely getting sleep.

There were nightmares on occasion and he found himself seeing blue when he woke- only for a moment. Once or twice he though he saw blue in his eyes too.

Days passed and he slowly started feeling worse from the lack of sleep. He never said much of it when asked. He had a bad habit of trying to handle things himself (though unfortunately his lab partner ran similar in that vein). A morning after Newt's birthday he woke to his nose bleeding. He thought nothing of it and went to the lab as soon as it subsided.

That's when things went wrong.

Gottlieb had cleaned off a section of his chalkboard that he no longer needed when he felt a bit light-headed. He gripped his cane a little tighter and told himself it was probably just a headache.

He continued on with his work he gradually felt worse; his back and bad leg ached and that light-headedness had moved onto a headache settling behind his right eye. Even looking at the Kaiju organ Newt was still picking apart made him feel a bit sick. This wasn't working.

“-I mean, what am I supposed to do once I run out of samples?” Newt droned on across the lab, complaining. “They better have more in stock stashed off somewhere, because I'm really not in the mood to go back and ask Chau for something. Guy almost cut my nose off!”

“I'm sure you'll manage...” Hermann replied, less bite in his voice than normal. He shook his head and looked back to his chalkboards...

...and a flash of blue went across his vision. Hermann muttered something under his breath and shut his eyes shut against the dizziness, and that's when the biologist took notice.

“Hermann? You okay?” He asked, stripping off his gloves and walking over to the physicist. “You're not looking so hot.”

Gottlieb wearily looked at Newt. “...Fine.”

“Dude, you don't look it. Is there something you're not telling me? Are you sick? Maybe you should sit down.”

Gottlieb shook his head. Newt was always a whirlwind of words, even if he meant well.

He opened his mouth to speak, but he blinked and saw the roaring face of Otachi. He made a startled noise and stumbled back.

Something was wrong.

“Hermann?”

“I...” His vision had turned blue around the edges. “I-I don't...”

A spark of pain shot down his spine and he swayed. The world shifted, turned blue, and faded to black.

 

* * *

 

Newt started to panic the moment his colleague let go of his cane and swayed back.

“Herm- Shit!”

The biologist lunged forward and caught Gottlieb, falling back with the other man in his arms. Newt coughed and sat up, keeping his arms around the other. He looked down at Gottlieb, who looked pained and wan.

“Hermann! Hermann, say something!” He called, shaking his colleague gently. Gottlieb didn't respond, but twitched violently in his arms for a second. Maybe they should of gone to medical instead of joining end of the war celebrations back on that day they Drifted. Newt felt his forehead- he felt hot. Newt swallowed and brushed some hair from Gottlieb's forehead, as if it would help.

Footsteps hurried over and he looked up. It was the metal-listening intern, Cluadia. She looked at Gottlieb, then at Newt.

“What hap-”

Gottlieb suddenly cried out in his unconscious state and shook again. Newt looked at Claudia, well in a panicked state by now. “Call medical!”

She rushed away and Newt looked back down at Gottlieb. “Hang on, buddy.” But then he noticed the other scientist's nose was bleeding and something was off about his hands when he went to take a pulse that startled Newt.

_'No way...'_

“Claudia, wait!”

He turned attention to the intern again, seeing she had just picked up the phone and her fingers hovered over the buttons. She stilled, as if waiting for command.

Newt observed Gottlieb's hands, a slight tremor in them now. What startled him was that the hands were discolored blue and they looked like they were changing, transforming into something familiar.

_'No, no no!'_

“Lock down the lab- The red switch by the door.” Newt said, surprised at his own voice sounding more softer.

He watched as Gottlieb shook and cried out again in pain. He heard a noise that sounded like something cracking and Gottlieb flinched away from him as if Newt had broken his arm or something. Newt didn't know what to do, and then he heard the lab doors lock and Claudia walking back over to them.

“What's... What's happening to him?” Claudia asked, her face contorted in shock.

The biologist shook his head. “I... I don't know.” He had six doctorates and all of them were useless in this state. Taking another look at Gottlieb's hands, he saw they were developing a scale-like texture. He took a look at one of his friend's eyes to find it was blood shot. Something was terribly wrong, Newt didn't know what, and it was changing his friend.

Steeling himself, he lowered Gottlieb in his lap and took one of his hands. “I need your help, Claudia.”

“What can I do?”

“Um, G... Get a wet cloth- he's got a bad fever- and some pain killers. I don't think he knows what's going on, but I can imagine it's painful.”

Claudia nodded and hurried around the lab to gather what Newt asked her to get.

All he did in the meantime was gently squeeze Gottlieb's hand, hoping at least that small comfort would get through.

“It's gonna be okay, Hermann. You hang in there. Don't you give up on me; you're way too stubborn for that.”

 

* * *

 

Gottlieb woke up to his body aching and feeling heavy. It took an effort just to try and open his eyes. When he finally managed to do so, the lights hurt his eyes but he knew there was something wrong.

Something wasn't right, he could feel it.

The feeling of a hand lingering on his arm made itself known as he felt the hand move and a familiar face came into his sight.

“Hermann? You awake?” That was Newt talking.

“I... I guess.” Hermann replied. He noted his voice sounded weird; a little bit rough.

“Yeah? That's good, buddy.” Newt tried to give him a reassuring smile, but Hermann could see it was masking something he wasn't being told.

He groaned and tried to stretch, but found he was having a hard time moving his limbs as well. “What... Newton, what's happened? My arms-”

“Uh, yeah. Okay, look I can explain.”

“Please do.” Hermann looked down and saw a blanket covering his body. Now that he thought about it, the surface below him felt cold. “Tell me I'm not on one of your dissection tables.”

“I said I can explain-”

“Oh for the love of Gott-”

“Hermann! Just calm... down, okay?”

Hermann wants to retort, but Newt's biting and licking his lips in that nervous way he does. “Newton, what's wrong?”

Newt bows his head for a moment, but looks back up, no trace of the smile he had before. Now that he notices it, Newt looks tired, hair a mess like he had run his hand through it many times, and his shirt- oh God, please don't let that be drops of Kaiju Blue on his shirt.

“Yes, you- you are on my dissection table. That's true. I thought it would be more comfortable than being on the floor. I had Claudia help move you-”

“What?” Hermann interrupted. “Why was I on the floor? I don't feel right. I don't remember...”

“You collapsed, dude. Me and the intern got you on the table after... Well, the table was closer! And you were unconsciously showing resistance, so we had to restrain you.”

“You're dancing around the main point.”

“Got it, um...” Newt moved his hand to the hem of the blanket. “I don't know how to say this gently, because you're gonna flip not matter how I say it- Hermann, you've gone Kaiju. Literally.”

Hermann's blood went cold, and he looked at Newt with confusion.

“You... You can't be serious.” He breathed out.

“I'm not joking.” The biologist shook his head. “I'm dead serious.”

Newt pulled down the blanket, and Hermann felt his heart plummet when he saw what the blanket had been hiding.

His skin was not only discolored a blue-ish grey color similar to something he didn't want to think about, but it was now colored in scales. He was lacking clothes, so he saw that his torso was warped and twisted into a Kaiju fashion, while still looking somewhat human. His arms were restrained, which were also changed. Hermann felt his breath catch in his throat and his chest tight with panic and shock.

The physicist suddenly felt light-headed and his vision was swimming. Newt was calling his name, but he could hardly hear the other, the voice sounding far away and barely audible over his own elevated breathing.

Hermann couldn't keep a focus any longer and let his body slip back into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

He came to on a much more comfortable surface. It was the couch.

“Hey, Hermann.” Newt's voice rang out, his footsteps sounding close. “Me and Claud', moved you over to the couch. Happy now?”

“The couch? What the-” Hermann tried to sit up and saw his hands. Blue, scales, transformed, Kaiju-ish.

He stared at his hands and Newt came up next to him, feeling a touch on his shoulder. “Hey- whoa; don't pass out on me again. Take it easy.”

He nodded. “Newton...” He tried to speak as calmly as he could. “What's happened to me?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.” There was a tone of uncertainty in Newt's voice, and that really made Hermann nervous. If Newt didn't know what was going on, then it was completely unknown.

“I remember working at my boards....” He mumbled, trying to make sense of this development, retracing what he remembered. “My head hurt, I didn't feel right.. and then... Nothing.” He looked to Newt. “Tell me what you know, what you saw.”

“Ah... It wasn't pretty.”

“Tell me. I am quite capable of handling it.”

The biologist left his side for a moment to pull up his desk chair. He also brought back a glass of water and helped Hermann drink from it. It was a bit difficult at first, but he managed.

“You should have told me you weren't feeling well.” Newt said quietly.

“I was handling it.”

“Yeah, until you passed out, and...” He paused and looked away. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“I'm sure.”

“Alright. It started when you fainted.” He began. “I was able to catch you, but... but you looked like you were in pain, and you were sort of- I don't know- twitching. I was gonna have Claud' call medical, but then I noticed your hands. They were changing.” He paused to take up one of Hermann's hands, observing the contours and reformed structure. “We moved you up on the table so you'd be more comfortable, but then you started unconsciously resisting, so I had to restrain you. You kinda got a bit of blood on me, 'cause your jaw did this weird thing- but don't worry, it's not harming me, I ran a bl- okay, sorry; back to point. There was nothing more I could do but watch and help you through it. You were out for a couple hour while it happened, and that might've been goo you weren't awake most of it. Hermann, your whole body transformed.”

“Transformed?” Hermann repeated.

“You got a better term for a full body mutation?”

He sighed and pulled his hand away from Newt to examine both hands. “Do I even want to look in a mirror?”

“Only when you feel ready. I mean, I'll just leave you here to rest for as long as you need. The lab's locked down- not like anyone comes by here anymore.”

Hermann relaxed down against the couch. It was only now he was realizing how tired he was- the transformation must have exhausted his body.

He sighed. “Thank you, Newton. I just need some time to take it in; evaluate my situation.”

The biologist held his hands up in understanding. “Take your time, man. If this had happened to me instead of you, I'm sure I'd be freaking out too.”

“Does Miss Burton know?”

“Yeah. But she won't say a word- we already talked about this. Anyway, she's asleep in my chair over there.”

Hermann looked in the direction Newt pointed at, seeing the intern was slumped in Newt's desk chair; a blanket over her lap.

“Poor girl.” He commented. “When she wakes, tell her I'm sorry she had to witness such a sight. The same goes for you.”

“No, no, no. Hermann, this- whatever happened- isn't your fault. We don't know why this happened.” Newt reassured him.

“Perhaps from being in the same space of your precious Kaiju specimens for so long.”

“Hey, good to know you're still the snarky guy I've known for 10 years. That's a good sign! Maybe- hm, maybe exposure to the Hivemind from the Drift.”

“Maybe.”

“You know, I know you don't like it, but this is kinda cool.” Newt smiled in that way that he did when he got excited about something. However, after a moment, it softened, turned into a frown. “What if it was because I made you Drift with me? What if I caused this? I'm so sorry... I didn't intend-”

“Newton, stop.” The physicist interrupted. “You just said not to blame myself. The same goes for you. Nether one of us could of known.”

“Alright... But, honestly, you look kinda cool. That's a compliment!”

He didn't want to imagine what he looked like right now, but at least Newt was being helpful, or at least as helpful as he could.

But now... what was Hermann to do?

“What am I supposed to do now...?” He asked Newt, sounding a little despaired.

The biologist just shrugged. “I can't exactly answer that, dude. I mean, shouldn't you just keep living as you are?”

“Have you forgotten what you told me? Just look at me!”

“Hey, Hermann- Don't do that.” Newt knelled down beside Hermann. “You may look like a- well, your outside appearance resembles the Kaiju in some ways- but hear me out! As long as you're still Hermann, which I'm absolutely certain you are, then there's no reason you can't continue on. You're way too awesome to just give up because you've changed a little bit.”

“A little bit? Have you seen my hands, or any other part of my body?” He questioned again.

“Do you think I care? Do you think a little scales and blue is gonna make us not-friends? We'll get through this. I've suffered plus 10 years with you, and we haven't tried to kill each other yet!”

Hermann slumped against the couch in defeat. “We'll see... Thank you, Newt...”

Newt's face brightened. “Hey, you called me 'Newt'!”

“Don't push it. It just slipped.” He said with a small, sly smile.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, Hermann worked up the nerve to examine his newly changed body. He could barely recognize himself when he gazed upon the reflective surface of a mirror. All Hermann could do, was sigh, take it in, and accept that this had happened to him.

He was also aware that he wouldn't be able to keep his new appearance a secret for long. While Newt and Claudia kept their word and said nothing about it to anyone outside the lab, word would eventually get out. That's why, despite the best efforts, he brought it up a few days later that Herc, the new Marshal, should be informed. Newt protested against it, but after a brief argument, he gave in. Hermann knew it was for the best.

It went just about as expected.

First shock, then demands for an explanation, then explaining, then resolution.

Hermann had been mostly quiet through the conversation, and hoped that this would be over quickly. If something was deiced to be done with him because of this change, then he would willingly accept it. In the end, Herc decided that Hermann could still stay, move freely around base as he pleased, but to stay on base for a couple of months, so the situation could be examined more. Newt was entrusted to keep an eye on Hermann, being the most knowledgeable on Kaiju studies.

It wasn't long after that word slipped to the rest of the base...

“Hey, ignore them.” Newt whispered to Hermann as he shushed the physicist into the lab, breifly pausing to glare at a person who was staring at them and to give them the finger before walking into the lab to join his friend.

“I'm used to stares of people looking at me strangely.” Hermann replied. “Imagine me at 19 and with a cane.”

“I saw it in the Drift- I know and it'll still piss me off when people are mean to you. They're jerks.” Newt sat down at his desk chair. “Speaking of which, how's the leg?”

Hermann tested his right leg. “Still hurts- I told you the mutations didn't even do anything to heal it. Though strangely it's felt better than it has in years." 

“That's good. I've gotta record that in my notes, and let me know if it starts feeling worse. I've got some heat packs stashed away.”

“I can handle it."

Newt threw up his arms. “Hey, I'm just trying to help! Geez.”

He cast a side glance to the other scientist before retreating back to the couch, curling up on it.

“Hermann?” He ignored Newt, only until he heard footsteps come over to him. He looked up to find Newt by his side, just like what only seemed like yesterday. Newt looked like he wanted to say something, but was withholding it.

But Hermann spoke first. “I... I'm not sure what to do.”

“Maybe some maths will help clear your head?”

“It's not that simple.” He growled. It was unlike him, but it was a bit humiliating to have Newt see him so vulnerable. He wasn't fully used to his new body yet.

“I know it's not simple, buddy.” The biologist answered. “But it'll be okay. Look, I'm gonna do some research on this, see if I can figure out how this happened. Maybe I'll find a way to fix it. Until then, hang in there for me, okay?”

“...If anyone, it would be you.”

“Aw, that means a lot.”

Hermann smiled a little, Newt always had a way with words.

“Right, uh... I'm not sure if that helped any, but I guess I'll leave you too it. And when you're feeling better we'll do some science!”

“It helps more than you know.” Hermann answered, facing away from Newt now. “Don't fret; I'll join you shortly.”

The biologist left, the sound of his footsteps going back away. He appreciated Newt would look into the circumstances behind his mysterious transformation, and maybe there was a cure hidden under all of this madness. In the meantime, despite the change, he might just have to take this day by day. His life was not over; the Breach closing had marked the dawn of a new era.

There was still hope left in the world.

After taking a few more minutes to ponder his thoughts, Hermann went back to his desk and started up his computer (a bit awkwardly with his hands being reformed).

There might be still hope left in the world, but who knew if the Breach could open again. The prediction model would have to be recalculated again-

Ah... That's what he would do, even as half-Kaiju.

And depending on the prediction model's results, they might need new Jaegers... meaning there needed to be someone to help code them.

There was still work to be done.


End file.
